Loans Should Be Used To Address More Pressing Challenges Of The Girl-Child

The Foundation for Youth, Peace and Development wish to state in no uncertain terms that as a matter of priority, it is not in the interest of the Ghanaian Girl-Child for a loan to be contracted for the purpose of providing free sanitary pads to school children on the grounds of minimizing the high rate of absenteeism on their part so as to enhance their competitiveness in school.

The Foundation is convinced beyond reasonable doubt that there are more disturbing challenges which are doing permanent damage to the educational pursuits of the Girl-Child and if the country is fortunate to receive a loan that has a component for the development of the Girl-Child, then such issues should rather be the first to receive attention.

The rising cases of teenage pregnancy and adolescent motherhood are clear cases in point and according to the records some Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand ( 750,000) teenagers become pregnant annually.This implies that an approximate of such number of girls are compelled to abandon the classrooms because of pregnancy.The records have it also that the majority of such girls do not return to the classroom.

In an era where the economic imperatives require trained human resource through the acquisition of formal education, any phenomenon that can take such number of girls out of the classroom permanently should surely be a matter of utmost concern to policy makers and all well meaning Ghanaians.

Yes, menstrual issues do affect the girl-child's education adversely and any effort at bringing some relief to them is welcomed but unless otherwise there is enough resources to tackle it and and the more pressing problems of the Girl-Child,especially teenage pregnancy at the same time,then any available resource including the component of the said loan which is meant for the provision of sanitary pads ought to be directed toward addressing the later challenges of the Ghanaian Child.

It should be used to enhance the capacity of the Gender desk,the Girl-Child Education offices and other relevant bodies of the MMDAs to enable them to address the problem of rising cases of teenage pregnancy and adolescent motherhood effectively in order to reduce drastically the large numbers of girls who abandon the classrooms because of pregnancy.

Benedicta Akosua Nyantekyiwaa Twum

(Co-ordinator:Girl- Child Education and HIV/AIDS)

Foundation for Youth,Peace and Development
+233(0)245769015 e-mail:[email protected]